This invention relates to agitation devices for agitating non-homogeneous waste material in agricultural and municipal waste enclosures having limited access. Particularly, this invention relates to stirring solid and liquid components of agricultural manure into a slurry state in large waste structure having access ports of the predetermined size.
A problem has long existed in the agitation of agricultural and municipal waste materials. Generally, the waste materials are contained in large enclosures having relatively small openings or ports for the removal of the waste materials. These small entry ports also make it difficult to permit the introduction of stirring devices of sufficient size to bring the solid and liquid components to a slurry state so that they can be more easily emptied or pumped.
In the past, various systems have been used or proposed to agitate waste components in large structures. However, these systems have generally been limited to devices installed as permanent fixtures and to devices having agitators no larger than the diameter of the access port. These devices have generally been either inefficient and ineffective in agitating solid and liquid components to a slurry state or too costly to build and maintain.
Additionally, collapsible stirring devices have been proposed for other specific uses, such as the agitation of paint or similar relatively non-viscous materials. These stirring devices due to their specific uses, have agitator configurations which inherently are unsuited for the agitation and stirring of the non-homogeneous waste materials in municipal and agricultural settings.
The waste pit stirrer of this invention overcomes the limitations and shortcomings of these prior art devices. And, the stirrer device of this invention fullfils a longstanding agricultural need for the effective agitation of lumpy or physically separate solid and liquid waste materials in waste structures, such as manure pits. Accordingly, the device of the present invention is a portable, adjustable and collapsible stirrer that can be inserted into a waste enclosure having an access port of a predetermined size to agitate its contents. The stirrer device of this invention provides a means of introducing a large stirring or agitating assembly through a small opening port by collapsing or folding the assembly.